


To Love a Demon

by HowlingAtMidnight



Category: Tokyo Ghoul, 魔法使いの嫁 | Mahou Tsukai no Yome | The Ancient Magus Bride
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-06 00:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20498123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowlingAtMidnight/pseuds/HowlingAtMidnight
Summary: This story is basically meant to encapsulate our perception of others. The characters are meant to portray those perceptions. Told from third person, it presents the monsters (from the girl's perspective) as hideous beasts that only seek to harm or kill. So, when she is presented with a monster that doesn't behave how she expects him to, it creates an air of confusion. How can he be good? He's a monster, his eyes are full of hate and death, his body is mutilated almost beyond recognition. How could he be considered nice? It could also be interpreted as a visual representation of how we perceive ourselves. We could see ourselves as disgusting creatures, yet our actions speak louder than appearances.





	1. A Hand in the Dark

Alone in the oppressive darkness, she wanders. Blindly traipsing through the dimly lit halls, passing shadowy figures lurking in the corners of her vision. 

Staggering forward, she stumbles, leaning against the wall for support her breathing can be heard; loud and rasping, coughing up mucus and blood. The gashes on her forearm and shoulder steadily oozing blood, trickling down her spine, soaking her clothes in a deep crimson. She could feel the piercing gaze of the faceless creatures on the back of her neck, never once leaving their field of vision. Though hindered by pain she continued to move, trying desperately to remove herself from their inevitable clutches. She could feel them drawing nearer, their silent laughter echoing in her ears, her mind, her very soul. They were almost upon her once more when an even darker creature appeared in front of her. 

Towered over the others; his face was shrouded in a grey mist, yet the markings of a demonic skull were just visible. His presence alone was terrifying, eyes glowing a brilliant red, the body of a disfigured giant; hunched slightly with bones and limbs protruding at odd angles from his skeletal torso. Looking up into his eyes, she saw only pain and hatred. Believing this to be the end she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face, mixing with the blood from her wounds. Yet the creature did not move. He merely stood there, standing over her, his eyes burning even brighter than they were before; yet they were not fixed on her. They rested on the shadowy figures that were behind her, as if for some inexplicable reason he was angry towards them. His eyes roving over each of them, as if daring them to take a step closer. 

To the girls utter astonishment, the creatures that were toying with her began to recede, fading into the depths of the darkness behind them. With hesitant movements the girl slowly raised her head slightly, only to come inches away from the vibrantly red eyes of the dark monster that had deterred the others so easily. With a small shriek she scrambled back, eyes closed, tears still streaking down her cheeks. Cradling her head in her arms she sobbed, unable to stop. She could hear, feel, sense the creature draw nearer; shuddering at the thought of he would do. She felt his long, forked fingers firmly separate her arms from around her head. She thought that his hands were moving towards her throat; but instead she felt a gentle, almost soft sensation on the surface of her cheeks. She didn't understand, how could she?

The monster, bent on one knee, was softly wiping away her tears with his skeletal fingers. Opening her eyes, she stared in bewilderment at the face of the monster. The smoke had dissipated from his face, revealing the whitened skull that had previously been slightly obscured. But the most noticeable change was his eyes. They were no longer a piercing blood red; they were emerald green, gently glowing in the sockets of the empty skull. Noticing he was cradling something in his other arm, she gestured towards it. The creature replied by handing the object to her. In a rush of confusion, she realised that the object was her Viola, still in its case with the lock firmly intact. She had dropped it when the other monsters attacked her.

With an almost kind sensation resonating from the creature, he got to his feet. As he rose, he offered his outstretched, spindly hand toward her in a gesture that seemed to read, "Come now, everything will be alright". Still hesitant, the girl clutched at the case, apprehensive of this creature. He gestured again, as if to say, "It's okay, I promise I'm not going to hurt you." Slowly, she raised her hand to accept his offer. As she rose, her legs began to tremble under her weight; but before they gave way, the creature caught her. With a reassuring nod, they gradually began to make their way out of the darkness together. A human, in the arms of what appeared to be a devil; but in reality, a lost soul in the arms of a penitent demon, serving as silent protector, guarding her from an undeserved fate. 

To unobservant and the narrow-minded the creature held a twisted and cold form. Yet to the rare eyes of a genuine individual, a warm and caring soul could be seen residing in the body of the creature.

Who would've guessed?


	2. Moonlit Walk

For an eight-foot figure carrying another person, you'd expect for his footsteps to be a lot louder. But his graceful strides barely made any noise as he carried her out of the darkened hallways of the train station. Up the stairs, past the turnstiles and out into the open air. In the soft moonlight; staring around blearily, the girl had a look of confusion on her face. Sensing her uneasiness, the creature made a small grumbling noise, lowering his head so that it was on the same level as hers. Her hazel eyes met his blazing emerald ones; realising that he didn't know where she lived. Hesitating slightly, she looked around and pointed in the direction of a familiar landmark, a statue in the middle of the town square. With a slight nod, he starts moving towards the statue, still carrying her in his arms as he does so. 

Once they reached the centre, the girl motions towards an old, brick building about halfway down a street branching off from the main part of town. The creature nodded again, and swiftly moved in the direction of the building. Upon reaching the front door, the girl tried to wriggle free but the pain in her shoulder and wrist flared; pain shot through her body like lightning and she yelped in pain. The creature firmed his hold on the girl, opened the door and walked inside, stooping through the archway as he did so. Looking around with an air of confusion, the girl realised again that he didn't know where to go. She touched his shoulder gently, gesturing towards the stairs. Reassured, he began walking up the staircase; reaching the top floor with ease, he strode along the hallway until the girl tapped his shoulder again, indicating to him that this was her room. She again tried to stand on her own, but the pain was too great. She stood precariously on her feet, wobbled slightly, then toppled sideways; out cold just before she fell into the arms of the creature again. With what was almost an audible sigh, the creature hoisted her into his arms once more, opened the door and entered the flat. 

The room was cramped. A Television rested precariously atop a stack of what appeared to be old newspapers dating back to who knows when, occupied one wall. A cluttered desk rested against the other side of the room, littered with books, loose paper, scattered pens and pencils. The lamp on the desk, the only thing illuminating the room. Steadily glancing around, the tall creature moved swiftly towards the large bed placed against the corner beneath a massive window, the muffled creaking of the floor boards under his feet as he walked; small lights from outside glistened and twinkled against the glass. Gently, he placed the girl down on the bed, being very careful not to incur any movement that would wake her as he rolled her onto her side. Ever so slightly, he traced the wound on her shoulder with his long fingers, pondering on the best course of action to take. Her shirt was torn, matted and stained with her blood. If she stayed the way she was currently, it would only cause her more pain; not to mention running the risk of developing an infection. 

At this, a small blush appeared on the pale white cheekbones of the creature. He had to remove her shirt. Looking really embarrassed, he quickly searched for a small bowl to fill with water, some clean towels and a first aid kit, placing the viola case down by the bedside table as he rose from his lace next to the bed. Upon finding all of these, he returned to her bedside. With his cheeks seeming to go an even brighter shade of pink, he cautiously used his skeletal index finger to cut at the remaining fabric that bound her shirt together. Inch by inch he cut away at the cotton. Finally, her shirt fell to the side, revealing the pale skin of her back and the horrible, mutilated gouge marks on her right shoulder. A jiggered bite mark and several claw marks were present; pink, exposed flesh, congealed blood, the scent of iron filling the creature's nostrils. With a definite heaviness about him now, the creature dipped one of the towels into the warm water and gently began to wipe away the dried blood. Ever so slowly working around the wounds, being careful not to re-open them. Once he'd finished, drenched a small cloth in some alcohol and applied it directly to the gashes on her shoulder. At this, the girl stirred a little, the stinging sensation managing to penetrate her consciousness. But the cloth was removed almost as soon as it had been placed there, and she went back to sleep. 

After this, the creature set about bandaging her shoulder. Gradually applying the pressure bandage around her midriff, then back across her chest and down her back to join up with the first strand. He repeated this action until he was satisfied with the amount of coverage, then he turned to her wrist. It wasn't as nearly as bad as her shoulder, just a few light cuts and a possible sprain. Even so, using a butter knife as a makeshift splint, he wrapped her wrist in the smaller bandage that he'd found in the med kit. Finally, her treatment was finished. Tenderly, he pulled up the covers on her bed and raised them until they rested gently above her shoulders. At long last, the creature felt that she could sleep peacefully. He would stay by her bedside until she awoke in the morning, just so that he could keep an eye on her if her condition changed; or if those other monsters decided to pay her a visit, they would surely not live long enough to regret it.

Settling himself down beside her bed, he reached his skeletal hand over towards her, his fingers resting ever so gently on her cheeks; caressing them slightly as she entered a deep state of sleep, free from the worry of being attacked, hurt, chased by those monsters any more. Silently, he vowed never to let her feel the same pain ever again; that he'd protect her regardless of any consequences that might arise as a result. Glancing across to the viola case resting next to the bedside cabinet, the creature noticed a small tag hanging from one of the clasps. He reached over and tilted it so that the text written on it was just visible in the pale moonlight; it read "Leina Marcovich". The creature's eyes grew dimmer as he and the girl began to drift off. With that, they both entered the swirling and foggy abyss that was their dreams.


End file.
